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Pornpanom P, Boonchuay K. Preliminary study on buffy coat smear and molecular detection of microfilaria in domestic chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus) raised in Southern Thailand. Vet World 2024; 17:888-894. [PMID: 38798302 PMCID: PMC11111725 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.888-894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Filarial nematode typically produces a larval stage (microfilariae) in the bloodstream of vertebrate hosts, where microfilariae reside in the blood or subcutaneous tissues. Filarial nematodes cause human diseases, such as river blindness and elephantiasis, which are widely studied. However, in avian species, they are overlooked because they are nonpathogenic. In Thailand, microfilaria can be found in wild birds and domestic chickens. Recently, an increase in the number of blood samples submitted to veterinary diagnostic laboratories may have increased the number of microfilariae. Therefore, knowledge about filarial species and reliable detection methods are important. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy of buffy coat smear and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for the detection of microfilaria in domestic chickens. In addition, parasites were identified using the sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene. Materials and Methods Giemsa-stained buffy coat smears from a previous study were reanalyzed. These available buffy coat smears were prepared from 55 domestic chickens raised as backyard free-ranging in Southern Thailand. Fifty-seven frozen genomic DNA extracted from chicken blood were used to detect the presence of the COX1 gene in Onchocercidae nematodes. The nested PCR protocol for amplification of the OnchoCOI_R2-OnchoCOI_R2 fragment of the COX1 gene was applied from a previous report. Sequences of COX1 were analyzed to identify Onchocercidae nematodes and if they were single or mixed infections. We constructed Bayesian phylogenetics to identify parasites and assessment of the relationship between filarial nematodes in avian species and other vertebrate hosts. Results Buffy coat smears from 15 samples revealed microfilaria. Of these 15 samples, only eight were positive for COX1 nested-PCR amplification. The other two buffy coat-negative samples were also positive for nested-PCR. Sequencing of these 11 nested PCR-positive samples revealed that almost all of them were Onchocercidae nematodes. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis showed that chicken Onchocercidae spp. were grouped with other avian filarial nematodes. However, all chickens Onchocercidae spp. showed a double peak in the sequencing chromatogram, indicating mixed filarial infection (species or haplotypes). Therefore, no chicken Onchocercidae sequence was deposited on National Center for Biotechnology Information, GenBank. Conclusion Giemsa-stained buffy coat smear was a reliable method for the detection of chicken microfilaria in routine veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Development of a new PCR-based method is necessary. This method may provide greater sensitivity and specificity of detection. In addition, the PCR method allowed us to access the genetic characteristics of nematodes, which helped us maximize our knowledge of nematodes. Further investigations, such as the pathogenicity of filarial nematodes in chickens and their potential vectors, are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornchai Pornpanom
- Akkhraratchakumari Veterinary College, Walailak University, 222 Thaiburi, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand
- Informatics Innovation Center of Excellence, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand
- One Health Research Center, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand
| | - Kanpapat Boonchuay
- Akkhraratchakumari Veterinary College, Walailak University, 222 Thaiburi, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand
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IDENTIFICATION AND RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF A FILARIOID NEMATODE SPECIES IN MANAGED GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS ( AMMODRAMUS SAVANNARUM). J Zoo Wildl Med 2023; 53:755-768. [PMID: 36640077 DOI: 10.1638/2021-0141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) is a species of ground-dwelling passerine bird with 12 different subspecies. The Florida subspecies (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) is classified as federally endangered, with the most common threats including habitat loss, nest predation, and floods. A managed breeding program was established at White Oak Conservation (Yulee, FL) in 2015 with eastern grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum pratensis) as a model for breeding Florida grasshopper sparrows as part of an assurance colony. A filarioid parasite species (Aproctella sp.) was characterized by PCR after identification by blood films and postmortem examinations of both subspecies housed at White Oak Conservation. This Aproctella species was distinct from others with available sequence. Records from 157 eastern and Florida grasshopper sparrows were reviewed, and correlations between presence of filariasis and subspecies, sex, body condition score, and presence of systemic isosporosis, squamous metaplasia, coelomitis, airsacculitis, or a combination of conditions were investigated. Twenty-nine (18.5%) birds (13 of 71 Florida grasshopper sparrows; 16 of 86 eastern grasshopper sparrows) were positive for filariasis by blood film review, grossly or by tissue imprint at postmortem examination, or histologically. Filariasis was significantly correlated with systemic isosporosis, coelomitis, and airsacculitis; was not correlated with subspecies, sex, or squamous metaplasia; and had a questionable correlation with body condition score. This report provides evidence that this Aproctella species has potential to contribute to morbidity and mortality in the grasshopper sparrow. This information will be helpful for implementing effective measures against suspected vectors and for the development of best practice strategies for the health management of the species in breeding programs.
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Greiman SE, Wilson RE, Sesmundo B, Reakoff J, Sonsthagen SA. Detection of Splendidofilaria sp. (Onchocercidae:Splendidofilariinae) Microfilaria within Alaskan Ground-Dwelling Birds in the Grouse Subfamily Tetraoninae Using Taqman Probe-Based Real-Time PCR. J Parasitol 2022; 108:192-198. [DOI: 10.1645/21-101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen E. Greiman
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Road, Statesboro, Georgia 30460
| | - Robert E. Wilson
- University of Nebraska State Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
| | - Briana Sesmundo
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Road, Statesboro, Georgia 30460
| | - Jack Reakoff
- Alaska Subsistence Hunter, 114 Newhouse Street, Wiseman Village, Alaska 99790
| | - Sarah A. Sonsthagen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508
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Huang YL, Tsai SS, Thongchan D, Khatri-Chhetri R, Wu HY. Filarial nematode infection in eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus) in Taiwan. Avian Pathol 2016; 46:188-194. [DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2016.1237014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Li Huang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Shinn-Shyong Tsai
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Duangsuda Thongchan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Rupak Khatri-Chhetri
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Hung-Yi Wu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan (ROC)
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Larrat S, Dallaire AD, Lair S. Emaciation and larval filarioid nematode infection in boreal owls (Aegolius funereus). Avian Pathol 2014; 41:345-9. [PMID: 22834547 DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2012.688940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Microfilariae are considered non-pathogenic in wild birds. The objective of the current communication is to report host reactions to microfilarial infection of unusual intensity in emaciated boreal owls (Aegolius funereus). An unusually large number of boreal owls (n = 21) were submitted to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center-Quebec Region for post-mortem examination during the winter of 2009. Nineteen out of 21 birds were considered emaciated based on atrophy of adipose tissue and pectoral muscles and suboptimal weight. A microscopic examination of a subset of nine owls revealed the presence of microfilariae in six owls. Three of the birds with a heavy parasite burden had masses of larval nematodes obstructing large vessels of the lungs. The emaciated owls are believed to have died from starvation due to a cyclic decrease in prey abundance in the boreal forest. This cycle also drives winter movements of boreal owls to urbanized areas of southern Quebec, presumably accounting for the large number of birds submitted in 2009. In the most severely infected owls, the extreme microfilarial burden might have caused an alteration in circulatory dynamics, gaseous exchanges and also probably some metabolic cost. Consequently, microfilariae could have significantly contributed to the death of some of these owls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Larrat
- Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center/Centre Québécois sur la Santé des Animaux Sauvages, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 rue Sicotte, St. Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada
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Merkel J, Jones HI, Whiteman NK, Gottdenker N, Vargas H, Travis EK, Miller RE, Parker PG. Microfilariae in Galápagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) and flightless cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi): genetics, morphology, and prevalence. J Parasitol 2007; 93:495-503. [PMID: 17626340 DOI: 10.1645/ge-1009r.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Galapagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) and flightless cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi) live in small, isolated populations on the westernmost islands of Isabela and Fernandina in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Between August 2003 and February 2005, 4 field trips, 2 in the cool, dry season (August 2003 and August 2004) and 2 in the hot, rainy season (March 2004 and February 2005), were undertaken; 298 Galápagos penguins and 380 cormorants were sampled for prevalence and intensity of hemoparasites. Microfilariae were found in both the penguins and the cormorants. Blood smears were negative for the presence of other species of hemoparasites. Overall prevalence of microfilariae across seasons was 42.0% in cormorants and 13.8% in the penguins. Intensity of infection was generally low (mean = 3.2-31.7 in 25 fields across seasons and species) with the exception of a few individuals with markedly high intensities of parasites (>300 in 25 fields in 1 cormorant). Prevalence of microfilariae increased significantly over the 4 sampling periods for cormorants, but not for penguins. Prevalences were significantly higher in cormorants than in penguins for 3 of the 4 collecting trips. Male penguins had higher prevalences than females; however, there were no gender differences in cormorants. No relation was detected between body mass and either presence or intensity of parasitism. Morphological characteristics of the microfilariae are also described and specimens from each host species were similar in all characters measured. DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene were consistent with the morphological evidence and together demonstrate that the penguins and cormorants are likely to be infected with the same species of microfilariae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Merkel
- University of Missouri-St. Louis, Department of Biology, 223 Research Building, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63121, USA.
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Sehgal RNM, Jones HI, Smith TB. Molecular evidence for host specificity of parasitic nematode microfilariae in some African rainforest birds. Mol Ecol 2006; 14:3977-88. [PMID: 16262853 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2005.02555.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Here we describe, determine the prevalence, and examine the host-specificity of some parasitic nematode microfilariae in selected bird species from West and Central Africa. We used microscopy to determine the prevalence of microfilariae in 969 host individuals representing 121 rainforest bird species from Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea. Thirteen (11%) of these potential host species harboured microfilariae, and 35 individuals (3.6%) were infected. From the 35 infected individuals, we identified eight distinct morphological microfilarial forms. Sixteen of the 35 infected individuals were of one host species, the Fire-crested Alethe (Alethe diademata), at a prevalence rate of 62%. To examine host and geographical specificity, we sequenced a portion of the LSU rDNA gene from representative microfilariae drawn from different hosts and collecting locations. Identical sequences of the nematode LSU rDNA gene were found in A. diademata collected from locations in Côte d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, locations separated by the Dahomey Gap and associated with different hypothesized refugial areas. In contrast, several other bird species collected at the same sites harboured different microfilaria lineages. We sequenced the mitochondrial ATP synthase genes of the host species A. diademata, and found a 5.4% sequence divergence between the birds sampled in Côte d'Ivoire, and those from Cameroon. Thus, despite this split between the two populations, they harbour microfilariae with identical lineages. These data provide evidence that the microfilariae found in A. diademata may be highly host specific. This apparent specificity may have important implications for the evolutionary and ecological interactions between parasitic nematodes and their avian hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder N M Sehgal
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA.
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Abstract
A total of 969 birds representing 121 species of 21 families from the West African nations of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast were examined for haematozoa using thin blood smears; 277 individuals (28.6%) harbored blood parasites. The parasites identified included species of Haemoproteus (7.7% prevalence), Plasmodium (10.7%), Leucocytozoon (4.6%), and Trypanosoma (7.3%). In addition, microfilariae of filariid nematodes were present in 3.6% of the individuals examined. The birds were collected over a period of 12 years, from 1989-2001, from rainforest and ecotone habitats. We report a relatively high prevalence of parasites in colonial nesting birds, and two species of ground nesting birds. In addition, we compared data from bird species collected at a site identical to a previously published study, and did not find significant differences in parasite prevalence between the two years constituting two different seasons. Our results are also compared to other studies in Africa that implement similar and different methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder N M Sehgal
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, California 94132, USA
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SCOTT ECHOLS M, CRAIG THOMASM, SPEER BRIANL. Heartworm (Paronchocerca ciconarum) Infection in 2 Saddle-Billed Storks (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis). J Avian Med Surg 2000. [DOI: 10.1647/1082-6742(2000)014[0042:hpciis]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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